*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Imitation crab is a man-made product that is actually made from fish. It is a good choice for those who cannot eat shellfish but still want to enjoy a crab-like food. It is delicious mixed into a creamy cold salad. It can be found in some supermarkets in the fresh seafood section. You can often buy it by the weight, so you get the exact amount of imitation crab that you need. You can also find it packaged in the refrigerated food case. Some stores may sell pre-made imitation crab salad. It is much cheaper to make crab salad yourself and you can adjust the flavors and ingredients as you like.

Place a scoop of this seafood salad in half an avocado for an impressive and beautiful lunch or light dinner; it's perfect on a hot summer night. You can also simply serve imitation crab salad on a bed of lettuce, on a sandwich in lieu of tuna fish, as a chunky dip with vegetables, or as an appetizer spread with crackers. Feel free to substitute freshly-cooked crab, lobster, or cooked shrimp for the imitation crab if you wish.

Steps to Make It

Toss in chopped imitation crab at the end. It has a stringy texture and may fall apart in the salad if it is overmixed.

Cover and chill under ready to serve.

Imitation crab is made from surimi or Asian fish paste. It is often known as Krab in the U.S. and sold in chunks or sticks. The fish paste is generally is made from pollock whitefish. The fish is first skinned and boned and then minced. The minced pollock is rinsed and flavored before being formed into the fish paste known as surimi. The finished surimi is shaped into chunks or tubes and cut into blocks or sticks. It is cooked to give it a texture closer to real crab meat and is coated with a reddish food coloring to give it a pink tint like real crab meat. Imitation crab has less protein and potassium and more sodium than real crab but also has less cholesterol and carbohydrates.

Store any leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.

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